Chapter 682: Speed up and speed up again!
"William, the federal government attaches great importance to the role of airships. It would be better if the price could be lowered." After finalizing the contract, Secretary of War Garrison congratulated Sheffield and said half-truthfully. It was as if he was saying that you are lucky.
"Dear Minister of War, this is already a very low price. You should know that this also involves the patent fees of Zeppelin Company. There are also differences. Helium is safer, and of course the cost of extraction is also very high. We are not at war, and we have to consider safety when doing domestic branch lines." Sheffield replied helplessly, "Five hundred thousand dollars per ship, it's actually not expensive."
At first, Sheffield was just fulfilling his duty as a senior German fan and playing the drums on the sidelines. If he knew that the German airship fleet bombed Paris and the federal government would order airships for military use, he would have done so long ago.
The airship contract was a pleasant surprise for Sheffield, there is no doubt about that. After this military procurement contract was made public, it triggered a series of effects. Once someone starts to imitate, there is a possibility of a herd effect. Germany bombed Paris with an airship fleet, and the United States across the Atlantic immediately began to purchase. This imitation behavior made the European warring countries pay attention to the role of airships all of a sudden, but it is difficult to make a meal without rice.
The world's airship production is concentrated in the hands of Germany and the United States today. The slave owners, who are well aware that the Allied camp is not as good as the Entente, will never leak the airship technology to the Entente.
While the war was raging in Europe, the major event in the United States was the follow-up news of the Texas attack. After two months of investigation and interrogation, the Texas police smashed the gang that kidnapped the Grand Duchess of Imperial Russia and shot and killed 23 black militants on the spot. In the photos released by the police and during the interrogation, these criminals confessed to their crimes.
In the subsequent trial by the Texas court, of course, all the defendants were sentenced to death, which was considered an explanation to the Russian Empire for its war in Europe. The case of the Grand Duchess of Russia came to an end.
The recent reports of the League of Nations have focused on two things. The first is to pay attention to the progress of the war in Europe, and the second is to criticize the Republicans. If there is a third, it is to use the facts of the war in Europe to criticize the Republicans.
The League of Nations has been pursuing the claims of some important Republican figures who have declared that the United States should stand on the side of the Allies and accused German and Irish immigrants of such remarks, accusing them of being dangerous to an immigrant country like the United States.
"If the United States can go to war for other countries, why did we want independence in the first place? Since we can all die for another country, why not start a second Civil War now? This way, at least our deaths will be more meaningful."
In the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Enver Pasha, who represented the three great pashas, met with John Connor. Although Enver Pasha did not think highly of Kuwait Pasha's important subordinate, the two sides had always had a good cooperative relationship, and he also wanted to ask the Americans' thoughts through this person.
"Dear Enver Pasha, my boss has been doing his best in America to prevent the United States from intervening in the war. After all, this war does not belong to the New World. Citizens of the United States belong to many different countries in the two camps." John Connor answered in detail, "In fact, my boss is very optimistic about the military strength of the Germans, which can be seen from the current public opinion and previous cooperation."
"John, does your boss also think that the Germans have stronger military power?" Enver Pasha asked this question thoughtfully. From the tone of the question, it can be seen that this question is very important.
The three Pashas of the Ottoman Empire are now arguing over whether the Ottoman Empire should join the Central Powers, the Entente, or remain neutral. Enver Pasha is in favor of joining the Central Powers, but the other powerful Pasha, Cemal Pasha, disagrees.
This was also related to the differences between the army and navy. The army represented by Enver tended to be inclined towards the Allies because the army was deeply influenced by Germany; while the navy represented by another powerful figure, Cemal Pasha, tended to be inclined towards the Entente. This was of course the role of British instructors in the Ottoman Navy.
The Ottoman Empire feared that if the Allies won, they would divide up the empire as spoils of war, or if they lost, they would also divide up the empire for financial gain. Germany, on the other hand, offered a guarantee for the survival and integrity of the empire.
"It seems that it is only a matter of time before the Ottoman Empire joins the Allied camp!" Sheffield took off the purple bow tie from his neck and threw it aside, saying with his back to Jesla, "Enver Pasha's intention is already very clear. I wonder if there are other reasons."
"I heard that Britain detained the dreadnoughts ordered by the Ottoman Empire!" Jesla thought about the contents of the telegram and said, "I don't know why the British did this."
"When an empire is on the decline, it needs someone to step on the accelerator. Apparently, such a person has appeared in Britain." Although Sheffield wanted to look serious, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
The British detained the Ottoman dreadnoughts. This happened. British Admiral Churchill ordered the confiscation of two battleships ordered by the Ottomans in Britain, and the Ottoman government had already paid the first installment for these two warships. These two warships were not only weapons to strengthen the Ottoman Empire's national defense, but also the Ottomans' hope to revive their national strength and work hard. The imperial government even organized donations, and almost every farmer in Anatolia donated a few coins.
"Just wait and see. The British government is the same as our federal government. No one will be held responsible. Sometimes even the imperial government of Germany is more responsible than a free country like us." Sheffield sighed, "But the British will definitely regret it, because an empire that has reached a dead end is different from the previous minor fights. The Ottoman Empire still believed that there was room for maneuver during the Italo-Turkish War, but now the Ottoman Empire is really ready to fight to the death if it really wants to join the war."
Sheffield knew that Churchill denied in his later memoirs that he had anything to do with the British seizure of warships, and accused the Ottoman Empire of being stubborn in wanting to join the German camp.
Maybe he was not the British Secretary of the Admiralty at the time, or maybe it didn’t matter that Churchill refused on behalf of Britain when the Ottoman Empire took the initiative to form an alliance with Britain in 1911, hoping that Britain would protect the Ottoman Empire’s territory?
It is normal for British and American politicians to shirk responsibility, otherwise Churchill could not explain whether he was responsible for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who died in the war with the Ottoman Empire. So the responsibility must be on the Ottoman Empire.
"Boss, you have always respected many ancient empires." Jesla seized the opportunity to compliment him. "You have previously prohibited the company from entering China, and only established branches in Vietnam and the Philippines. In fact, you can help the Chinese just like you helped the Ottoman Empire."
"I'm afraid the Chinese don't think I'm helping them!" Sheffield shook his finger and emphasized, "These empires from the agricultural era are actually different. China is many times larger than the Ottoman Empire. It's not like I can just give them some technology and transform them. Besides, I need to make a profit. The Chinese may think I'm exploiting them."
Although many agricultural empires have reached their end, it is actually different. The Ottoman Empire really had to fight to the death, but the Qing Dynasty actually withdrew far before the worst. According to the standards of previous dynasties, the territory would only be reduced to the Han area south of the Great Wall before it truly entered the end of the dynasty.
"Now near the Persian Gulf, I have four battleships and 28 submarines. Although they may be slightly inferior in quality to the battleships of the British shipyard, the French Courbet-class battleships are more suitable for the Mediterranean sea conditions. But there is no big difference. The British battleships are more than 20,000 tons, and my battleships are also more than 20,000 tons. Their main guns are large-caliber, and my main guns are also large-caliber. In addition to the railway guns on the Persian Gulf side, I am not afraid of the British, and they can't bring their home fleet over." Sheffield calculated to himself and asked, "What is the current armed force of Kuwait?"
"One hundred and eighty thousand Christian militiamen!" Jesla replied hastily, "divided into three legions!"
"It seems that we have enough to protect ourselves temporarily. I have plenty of food. As long as the Middle Eastern Christians reach Kuwait, I will provide them with food. Do you think I bought the farm in Australia for nothing?" Sheffield stood up and finally made up his mind, "I support Enver Pasha to act in the interests of the Ottoman Empire. I personally guarantee that my Christian militia will never rebel and will stand with the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, I will never let Britain invade the interior of the empire through the Persian Gulf."
Sheffield dared to make such a guarantee because the main battlefield in the Middle East during World War I was not the Persian Gulf region, but the Egypt-Syria line on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. In the Asian battlefield of World War I, the Ottoman Empire fought against the British based in Egypt.
With the submarines that have reached the Persian Gulf, the slave owner can easily block the Strait of Hormuz. With four battleships in hand, he is not afraid of anyone as long as the British home fleet does not arrive in a short time.
"Should we fulfill the alliance and join the war against France?" A voice sounded in the meeting, which quickly aroused heated discussion, but this scene did not take place in Constantinople, but in Rome.
Things are inevitably accelerating and speeding up.
(End of this chapter)
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